


Rain and Regret

by Endraking



Series: Sceo/ Past, Present, and Future [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, College, Flashback, M/M, Regret, Sceo Week 2019, Scott cares about Theo, Theo cares about Scott, Thunderstorms, admission, friends to maybe something more, theo's past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 00:16:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19878454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Endraking/pseuds/Endraking
Summary: While at UC Davis, Scott has lived a rather normal college life.  A fair part of that is due to Theo, his roommate and friend.  They've grown closer but it seems that walls between them exist, more specifically, walls that Theo isn't readily willing to drop.  During an active overnight thunderstorm, Theo drops one of those walls.For reference, these events take place during the time shifts of Crossroads and Kickflips.





	Rain and Regret

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DemonzDust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemonzDust/gifts).



Rain and Regret

The fierce crack of bolts zigzagging through the clouds yanked Scott’s attention from the textbook in his lap to the partially raised window. The rain had yet to slow and it felt as though the skies themselves threatened to tear themselves apart, giving little care to his attempts at studying nor the hour.

He glanced back to the low glow of the TV; the time illuminated in the top corner as the screen saver bounced. 2:19. 

A wave of warmth coursed through him and exited his widely opened mouth as his muscles poured a hint more into the chair. He wiped his eyes and slid his bookmark into the section before placing it on the smaller wooden coffee table. He lowered it quietly, letting it join his stack of notebooks with nary a sound before his eyes floated back to the couch. 

Theo rested against the cushion, his chin tucked into his chest, smears of grease still on his face, his filthy bandanna still tied to his forehead, the few oily locks curling over the material. 

Part of him wanted to try to wake Theo up, coax him to get himself cleaned up and go to a proper bed but he knew better. He knew that Theo both loved and hated the thunderstorms and one that illuminated their entire apartment with the flashes from the angry bolts would be a surefire way for the chimera not to be able to sleep.

He knew enough to know the raw natural power of the storms held Theo’s attention, his grey eyes twinkling as he would watch the bolts for hours. But he also realized that Theo’s chances of falling asleep and dealing with the inevitable nightmares that would follow those crashes would keep the chimera wide awake.

When a tiny whimper escaped from Theo’s lips, he lifted himself from the chair and joined him on the couch. The reaction was almost instantaneous. The moment he settled himself, Theo curled into his side and rested his head against his shoulder. Maybe it was the protective scent of an alpha, maybe it was Theo’s desperate need to not be alone, or maybe it was something else that drove this reaction, but Theo always seemed to react this way.

His fingertips found their way to the scruff of the back of his neck, scratching against the damp skin and cool hair before he pulled the knot free from the bandanna and slid it from him. His mop of hair slowly deflated, the bangs curling back to touch just above his lids. He let it fall free and it hit the hardwood floors with a slap. 

Theo pushed his face further into the pocket of his shoulder, taking quick breaths punctuated with tiny mewls. His blunt nails found themselves back against the base of his head. No doubt Theo was having another nightmare. 

He could count on one hand the number of times Theo had truly restful sleep. Since they moved to Colonial Park, he could also count the number of times he’d watched Theo pass out from exhaustion or injuries, all depending on what the evening had in store for them. 

He cleared his throat, his voice cracking from lack of use before he could begin the even soothing tones.

_Arrorró mi niño, arrorró mi sol,_

_arrorró pedazo de mi corazón._

The words flowed freely as he repeated the song the very same way his mother used to sing to him when he was sick as a kid. His mind drifted from the song, back to Theo as threaded his fingers through the thick, grimy hair of the back of his head.

_Este niño lindo se quiere dormir_

_y el pícaro sueño no quiere venir_.

Theo was hiding things from him again. While he knew they weren’t any machinations of power, they bothered him the same. He knew Theo’s work schedule at the garage and knew some days ran longer but he also caught the scents of dried blood, of sweat of fear and exertion, or gun powder. Theo must’ve thought he was hiding them, keeping him outside of things but he knew.

_Este niño lindo se quiere dormir_

_cierra los ojitos y los vuelve a abrir._

He hadn’t grown his claws since he stepped foot on the campus. Classes, club meetings, lacrosse practice, study sessions at the library. These were the things that filled his schedule. Whole days would pass where he would leave for class before Theo awoke and would come home to find him asleep on the couch, the tv softly casting the glow over him. While they had worked through quite a bit his first semester, Theo hadn’t pushed for more. The chimera seemed content to help him focus on school and his life as a college student.

_Arrorró mi niño, arrorró mi sol,_

_arrorró pedazo de mi corazón._

The guilt nipped at the back of his mind as easily as the dull pain that would still radiate from his chest. The twisted reminder of his body to reflect two very contradictory drives. He didn’t want Theo to think that he only wanted him there to handle finances and supernatural problems. They had become friends again, hadn’t they?

_Arrorró mi niño, arrorró mi sol,_

_Duérmete mi niño, duérmete mi amor._

Friends. He nearly swallowed the tone as the word moved around his mind. He glanced down to Theo’s face. The lightning flashed and for a moment, the shadows cast the same vicious mien that tore the life from his chest. However, the moment the low, soft lights returned, so did the face of the Theo he’d grown to know.

He finished the song and brushed the bangs from Theo’s forehead. Theo sleepily rubbed against his chest and whispered, “Why’d you stop?”

He almost jumped, the nerves pushing a smile to his lips as he replied equally as softly, “I was trying to help you sleep.”

Theo rolled his face and cracked his lids, so their eyes met, “It was beautiful. Is that… something your mom used to sing you?”

His hand moved back to Theo’s shoulder, cradling the chimera against him, “Yeah. Whenever I would have trouble sleeping.”

Theo’s lip curled into a tiny smile, “You did it because of the storm, didn’t you?”

“You have nightmares during the storms. I thought I’d try to help.”

Theo rolled away from his chest and stretched his limbs and popped his neck. “I have them pretty regularly. I wouldn’t want you thinking about singing me a lullaby every time I went to sleep.”

Scott tested their interaction, his soft question barely audible, “Was it Tara?”

Theo shook his head before his eyes moved to the window, those greys lighting up with another bolt, “No. Thunderstorms. They were good for us.”

“Good for you?”

Theo ran his fingers through his thick and flat hair, scrunching his nose as he pulled the grime free and the hair seemed to remain mostly in the shape he pulled, “Y-yeah. When I was grounded or when Tara would babysit me. If there was a storm, we’d watch it from my window. We wouldn’t say much. The whole house would be quiet until another rumble shook things.”

“But your nightmares?”

Theo stood, rolling his shoulders, briefly looking to him before glancing back to the bathroom, “No different than any other.” Theo’s tone shifted, lightened in spite of the storm, “Isn’t this a school night? Shouldn’t you be in bed already?”

He argued back against the obvious deflection, “I was studying. And I couldn’t go to bed if you were sleeping down here.”

Theo snorted, though his lips curled at the edges, “Come on Scott, you’d have the entire bed to yourself. Stretch out. And you wouldn’t have to deal with the scent of motor oil.”

He stood and placed a hand on Theo’s shoulder as the chimera began to walk away, “I don’t mind. It’s a good scent. And one that I haven’t thanked you for.”

Theo shot back a glance, “Thank me? I’m working so I have a roof over my head. Gas in my truck. Food in my stomach.”

He quickly followed, “Part of my tuition covered. Books for my classes. Keeping me hidden from all the things that go bump in the night.”

Theo pulled away from his grip and mumbled, “Don’t think too much of it. It’s the least I could do.”

“The least you could do is nothing. The least you could do is disappear. And yet you stay.”

Theo grumbled as he moved to the bathroom door, “I’m going to take a shower. Maybe clean off this grime. But you need to go to bed. Your first class is at 8, right?”

“Yeah. 8 AM.”

“Go to bed Scott.”

Theo stared into the mirror after wiping away the steam from his shower. The strength of the storm overhead grew, and the lights flickered with each heavy rumble. The lights cut briefly and in that tiny bit of time, he saw two faces staring back from the mirror. Tara smiled at him, her grey eyes squinted from her lifted cheeks, triggering the scent of peppermint in his mind. The other, a small blonde girl with nearly translucent skin sent a shiver down his spine.

As quickly as they appeared, the lights returned, and they were gone. He sucked in a breath and stilled his nerves as he stepped from the bathroom, flicking the lights off as he left. 

The loft was nearly pitch black, the only illumination coming from the regular flashes outside. He crept along the floor quietly and finished closing the window. He took one last breath of the energized air before turning the locks and looking to the stairs to the bed.

Scott’s soft breaths caught his ear and he walked to the couch. He knelt, scooping up his bandanna and sat where he slept earlier. As soon as he made contact with the couch, Scott’s sleep heavy tone called out, “Come to bed Theo.”

He argued back, only the slightest edge to his voice, “You should be asleep already.”

“I won’t be able to sleep with you tossing and turning on the couch. Come to bed.”

With a huff, he stood, “I’m only agreeing so you’ll get some sleep before you have to get up.”

The slight chuckle added to Scott’s words, “I know. Now come to bed.”

He moved to the stairs, ascending the steps one by one until he reached the top and stared at Scott’s near naked form on top of the covers. He licked his lips as he admired him for a moment before tossing his bandanna into their hamper. He walked to his side of the bed and climbed in, leaving a gap between them.

“You know I won’t get back to sleep.”

Scott inched closer, snaking his arm behind his shoulders while still laying on his back. “You never said why storms do this to you.”

He relented into the alpha’s warmth, “No, I didn’t.”

“Theo- “

“Scott, my problems aren’t your problems. I don’t want you worrying about me. I’m fine.”

Scott rolled to his side and he looked over and gazed into his eyes. “You don’t have to tell me. I was hoping we were to the point that you would.”

He turned his head back and stared at the ceiling. He snorted softly, “What? Because we share a bed? We’ve got to play the role. The future Mr. McCalls. Because I was not going to pay extra.”

He could hear the lopsided grin, “You came to bed because of rent?”

“I came to bed, so you’d stop thinking and worrying about me.”

“Do you want me to sing to you again?”

He shook his head softly. He knew Scott would sing him a thousand lullabies if it meant he’d go to sleep. With a sigh, he began, “I’m never going to forget her face.”

He caught the moment Scott’s breath stilled as he began, “It was the first time I did something for them after…” _The words died in his throat as the vision of the playground, shaded by the ominous, dark clouds. The single swing moving in the otherwise empty playground. The flow of the hem of a faint yellow sundress._

“I had to prove that I could blend.”

_His sneakers crunched the tiny gravel as he moved from the darkness of the forest. He slid his eagerly clawed fingertips over the steel of the swing set. “It looks like it’s going to rain, shouldn’t you go home?”_

_The girl faced him with a defiant, smug grin, “I still have half an hour before I need to go home. And I don’t care what the clouds do, I’m enjoying my time. Shouldn’t you go home?”_

_He slowly grinned as the girl faced forward, the tips of his tiny fangs pushing against his lips, “I’m not scared. Can you say the same?”_

_The girl kicked her legs and swung higher as a few large drops of water fell from the clouds and the rumble began._

“She was so tiny. Barely old enough to be by herself at the park near her home. So brave.”

_He bit back his nervous, trying to bring his body back under control. She cheered from the swing, “Are you going to stand there getting wet? Once the lightning starts, we can’t be on the swing.”_

_Against his own thoughts of worth and the value of playing with a younger child, he climbed into the swing next to hers. He kicked his legs and began to move. Almost instantly, she began to giggle, “My little brother can go higher than that.”_

_He kicked his legs harder, the surge of the wolf within pushing to his limbs as he moved faster and flew higher. He slowly began to overtake her, their swings moving far faster than any parent would prefer but with every gain he made, she pushed just a little harder._

_Moments before he could swing higher than her, the sky opened up. A wall of rain fell, and she jumped from the swing at the peak. He followed suit and while she landed somewhat easy, her tiny shoes slipping on the gravel, but she maintained her balance, he landed effortlessly, trusting the beast within._

_She giggled and ran to the trees as the thunder clapped and bolts of lightning arced through the clouds. He rushed to her side, though neither managed to make it without their clothes being soaked, clinging to their shivering bodies._

_“Shouldn’t you be heading home? That’s a pretty mean thunderstorm.”_

_She shot back just as eager, “Shouldn’t you?”_

“She was so defiant. With her strength of will and confidence, she could’ve owned the world.”

“ _You know, these woods aren’t safe. There are monsters.”_

_She slugged his arm and grinned, “I’m perfectly safe.”_

_“You don’t believe in monsters?”_

_She stared into his face and smiled softly, “No, I believe. I know one that thinks they are a monster. Golden eyes.”_

_Her words shook him. He’d failed to maintain his control. The beast lurked too close to the surface. With that declaration, one of them was condemned._

“I had to do it.”

_The storm intensified and the girl started to inch away, “I should go home. Will I see you again?”_

_He pushed back his fangs and reached for her, “Why don’t we go to my home? You can let your parents know you’re with a friend.”_

_She dodged his grasp, slipping free and taking a few more steps, “I can’t. I have to go home.”_

_He’d failed. If she went home, having seen him, knowing he was different, he would be a failure. The crashes echoed off the homes and forest, masking the screams that no one heard._

“She was a failure. They were all failures.”

Even the thunder dulled as the heavy silence fell over them. He listened for Scott’s heart and breaths. He knew the alpha should throw him out, should cast him away for the monster he was. She was right. But she should’ve been afraid.

“What was her name?”

The soft tone barely reached his ears and it took a moment to register. With a deep sigh he admitted, “I don’t know. I never learned it.”

The suffocating blanket fell once more. He needed Scott to see and know him for exactly what he was. Maybe then he’d be free. He swallowed the heavy lump in his throat, “Maybe you shouldn’t sing lullabies for someone like me.”

He expected Scott to roll away, to recoil from his admission but the warmth of hands on his shoulders told a different story. He barely had time to react as he was rolled closer and warm lips pressed against his own. “I’m sorry that’s the life you grew up knowing. I’m sorry that’s who you were.”

He tried to pull back, but Scott held him firm as he turned his head away, “Who I am.”

Fingertips ran up his chest and stopped over a small divot, one recently acquired from a fight with hunters. “And this? What happened?”

He fought back the snarl, “I know you know what I’m doing, alright.”

“Then answer the question.”

“It was from a band of hunters. Looking for the True Alpha.”

Scott calmly replied, “I never saw them.”

He shot back, “Because I dealt with them. But is that what you want? An attack dog to handle things?”

“No.”

A simple word that begged for more. “Then what do you want?”

The hand moved to his jaw and shifted his face back. Those lips brushed against his own. Fleeting. Chaste. Born of care. “I want you to realize you’re healing too.”

He stared into the brown eyes, those soft caring eyes. “I’m broken Scott.”

“And you are putting yourself back together. But you’re not alone. If you don’t want to be…”

He closed his eyes and repeated the mantra, the one that held the ice around his heart, “I’m not someone you should sing for.”

The fingers traced his face before brushing away his bangs. The blunt nails scratched against his scalp as Scott began again.

_Arrorró mi niño, arrorró mi sol,_

_arrorró pedazo de mi corazón._


End file.
